Woman with brain disorder arrested and locked up because police thought she was drunk

Monday 26 May 2008 10:32 BST

[headerlinks}A woman who suffers from a disease which causes balance problems was thrown into a cell - because police mistakenly thought she was drunk.

Lorraine Parkin, 37, who is teetotal, was driving away from a supermarket when an officer ordered her to stop her car.

Mrs Parkin was asked whether she had been drinking. The woman officer asked her to step out of her car and confiscated her keys.

Lorraine Parkin has a rare brain condition but was mistakingly arrested and locked up for drink driving

Mother- of- three Mrs Parkin explained that she suffered from Huntington's disease, showed her medication and offered to take a breath test.

Police were nearby and at one stage up to ten officers surrounded her as they waited for a breath test kit to arrive.

She said that when a kit could not be found officers bundled her into the back of a van and took her to a police station where she was placed in a cell.

Huntington's disease is a progressive hereditary condition, which affects the body's nervous system.

Sufferers can have unco-ordinated movements and slurred speech, which make them appear drunk.

Mrs Parkin, from Swinton in Greater Manchester, was stopped after a police officer saw her walking to her car.

Last night, she accused police of discriminating against the disabled.

'I have never felt so humiliated and small,' she said. 'I could not even tell friends and family without bursting into tears. I felt terrified as I have never in my life been in the back of a police van.

'I was kept at that police station while they checked with the DVLA and found I was fully road legal including all relevant up to date retests.

'The police then rang my doctor to confirm that my tablets were a legal prescription.

'The doctor confirmed my diagnosis and my tablets but the desk sergeant said this was not enough information and I would have to be seen by the police doctor.'

Eventually Mrs Parkin, was released without charge.

Officers still insisted she was collected from the station by family or friends, saying she was in no condition to drive.

Mrs Parkin has been stopped several times before by police who believed her to be drunk. She is calling for more training for police on how to deal with the disabled.

'I feel sick and tired of being judged by others,' she said.

The life expectancy of someone diagnosed with Huntington's disease is generally around 15-20 years though some can live much longer.

Police confirmed that Mrs Parkin was taken to the police station because a breath test kit was 'not available at the roadside'.

A spokesman said: 'The woman was taken to Swinton police station at 11am where officers were able to verify her symptoms.

'She was released without charge just after 11.50am, having spent less than an hour at the police station.'